An Adventure As Told By Bill Berkheimer Of Cobden, Illinois

From the city of Cadillac drive south on US 131 for 2.1 miles and then continuing south on 43 mile road for another 2.1 miles to M115. Proceed southeast on M115 for 2.8 miles, turning right on 135th avenue. Drive 1.4 Miles on 135th Ave and then turning left on 23 mile road and proceeding 1/2 a mile to the signed Grove Hill Park on the left.

Make a short drive up the hill to the end of the lane and a nice parking area. From the parking area walk up the grassy, small hill immediately in front of you. This is the high point of Grove Hill.

There’re no views from the top of Grove Hill as the forest surrounds the small park. The forest has a variety of trees including pines and spruce; all are mature and very large. There are no markings and no register on the high point.

Back at the parking area, where a picnic table is nearby, there is a very informative, rather large sign marked “Grove Hill.” The sign mentions that this hill was part of the original homestead deeded to George Grove in 1873 by the U.S. Government, and that the Groves were one of the first families in Sherman Township.

Also mentioned on the sign that at 1700 feet above sea level, Grove Hill is the highest elevation in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. (The elevation of Grove Hill is now recognized at 1709 feet, just five more feet more than the second high point in the Lower Peninsula, Briar Hill.)

Beneath Grove Hill are some of the deepest soils in North America. Known as glacial drift, the depth of the deposits to bedrock is about 1000 feet.

On a personal note, in the summer of 2018 we made a visit to Mount Acron, the highest point in Michigan, located in the Upper Peninsula. In the early summer of this year, 2023, our whole family planning for a trip to Holland, Michigan during the last week of July.

I mentioned to my son-in-law that I wondered if the high-point in the Lower Peninsula might be a place is that is promoted in any way. He went about looking up things and found through his research the Grove Hill Sherman Park Township site. And that is how five of us came about visiting Grove Hill.